Briefs: Ross wins in Cincy

Former Newport Harbor High volleyball star and partner Kessy take home title at Cincinnati Players Championship Sunday.

September 06, 2010

The Assn. of Volleyball Professionals season is over, but April Ross and Jennifer Kessy continue to win pro tournaments on the sand.

Ross, a former Newport Harbor High star, and Kessy captured the women's title at the Cincinnati Players Championship Sunday.

When the AVP folded last month there was still a desire to put on a Labor Day weekend tournament at recently completed Hahana Beach Sports Complex in Columbia Township. The prize money was lowered for the event. Ross and Kessy reportedly shared $10,000, as opposed to the usual $20,000 for winning an AVP event.

Ross and Kessy defeated Annett Davis and Jenny Johnson Jordan in the final, 21-18, 21-12. Ross and Kessy were the best women's AVP team all year, winning four of the six tournaments they played.

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Tying for third were Misty May-Treanor, also of Newport Harbor, and Nicole Branagh and Angie Akers and Tyra Turner after the duos lost to Davis/Johnson Jordan and Kessy/Ross in the semifinals, respectively.

This could have been the last tournament of May-Treanor's career, as she has openly considered retirement, according to Universal Sports.

May-Treanor had played with Kerri Walsh, winning two Olympic gold medals. Walsh made her first pro appearance since giving birth to her second child in May. She lost the only two matches she played with partner Brook Hanson and tied for seventh.